Electronic device for listening to external sound and operating method of electronic device

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2022/003834 designating the United States, filed on Mar. 18, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Receiving Office and claiming priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0035342, filed on Mar. 18, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

The disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method of operating the electronic device and, for example, to an electronic device for listening to an external sound around a user and a method of operating the electronic device.

A speaker driver allowing a user to listen to a specific sound may be implemented in the form such as earphones worn on the user's ears or a headset worn on the user's head.

Earphones inserted near the external auditory meatus of the ears or the headset completely covering the ears may be located between the outside and eardrums, and thus the user may not hear a sound from the outside while the user is wearing the same.

Accordingly, the earphones and/or the headset may include a microphone implemented outside the earphones and/or the headset, and an external sound acquired from the microphone implemented outside may be output to a speaker included in the earphones and/or the headset, so that the user wearing the earphones and/or the headset can listen to an external sound through the earphones and/or the headset

The earphones and/or the headset needs a process of inputting the external sound acquired from the external microphone into an appropriate filter and processing the external sound in order to allow the user wearing the earphones and/or the headset to naturally hear the external sound.

Earphones and/or headset input external sounds acquired from an external microphone into an appropriate filter and output the sounds into a speaker, so as to allow a user to naturally hear an external sound.

Embodiments of the disclosure may control a sound output from a speaker by compensating distortions due to an echo which may be generated inside the user's ears or sound leakage which may be generated in the headset in order to allow the user to hear a sound which is the same as the sound to which the user listens outside.

Embodiments of the disclosure may acquire a sound output from a speaker through an internal microphone or a sound output from the speaker and reflected from the ear drum or the external auditory meatus, compare the sound with the external sound acquired through the external microphone, and control an output signal such that the sound output from the speaker is the same as the external sound.

Embodiments of the disclosure may output a user-personalized audio by controlling the output signal on the basis of an audiogram related to an auditory property of the user.

The disclosure is not limited to the above mentioned technical subjects, and other technical subjects which are not mentioned may be clearly understood through the following descriptions by those skilled in the art of the disclosure.

An electronic device according to various example embodiments of the disclosure includes: a speaker, an external microphone configured to acquire an external signal of the electronic device, an internal microphone located around the speaker and configured to acquire an internal signal including a signal output from the speaker and/or a signal output from the speaker and reflected from an external object, a memory configured to store a first transfer function generated based on the signal output from the speaker, acquired by the internal memory, and/or a second transfer function generated based on the signal output from the speaker, acquired by the internal microphone, and reflected from the external object, and a processor operatively connected to the speaker, the external microphone, and the internal microphone, wherein the processor is configured to: convert a signal acquired by the external microphone into an external frequency signal in a frequency domain, convert a signal acquired by the internal microphone into an internal frequency signal in the frequency domain, calculate a first compensation value, based on a result of comparison between the external frequency signal and the internal frequency signal, and control an output signal output from the speaker, based on an external signal acquired from the external microphone, the first compensation value, the first transfer function, and/or the second transfer function.

A method of operating an electronic device according to various example embodiments of the disclosure includes: converting an external signal of the electronic device acquired by an external microphone into an external frequency signal in a frequency domain, converting a signal output from a speaker, acquired by an internal microphone and/or a signal output from a speaker and reflected from an external object into an internal frequency signal in the frequency domain, calculating a first compensation value, based on a result of comparison between the external frequency signal and the internal frequency signal, and controlling an output signal output from the speaker, based on the first transfer function generated based on the external signal, the first compensation value, and the signal output from the speaker, acquired by the internal microphone and/or the second transfer function generated based on the signal output from the speaker and reflected from the external object.

According to various example embodiments, the user can naturally hear an external sound while the user is wearing an electronic device.

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device can provide a sound that can be reproduced similarly, such that the external sound is transmitted as it is.

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device performs equalizing to fit an auditory property of the user, and thus the user wearing the electronic device can hear an external sound controlled to fit the auditory property of the user.

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device can prevent and/or reduce confusion of directions due to a level difference between both ears which the user may experience by outputting synchronized sounds through a pair of electronic devices.

is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic devicein a network environmentaccording to various embodiments. Referring to, the electronic devicein the network environmentmay communicate with an electronic devicevia a first network(e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or at least one of an electronic deviceor a servervia a second network(e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay communicate with the electronic devicevia the server. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicemay include a processor, memory, an input module, a sound output module, a display module, an audio module, a sensor module, an interface, a connecting terminal, a haptic module, a camera module, a power management module, a battery, a communication module, a subscriber identification module (SIM), or an antenna module. In various embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., the connecting terminal) may be omitted from the electronic device, or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device. In various embodiments, some of the components (e.g., the sensor module, the camera module, or the antenna module) may be implemented as a single component (e.g., the display module).

The processormay execute, for example, software (e.g., a program) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic devicecoupled with the processor, and may perform various data processing or computation. According to an embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, the processormay store a command or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor moduleor the communication module) in volatile memory, process the command or the data stored in the volatile memory, and store resulting data in non-volatile memory. According to an embodiment, the processormay include a main processor(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), or an auxiliary processor(e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor. For example, when the electronic deviceincludes the main processorand the auxiliary processor, the auxiliary processormay be adapted to consume less power than the main processor, or to be specific to a specified function. The auxiliary processormay be implemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor.

The auxiliary processormay control at least some of functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display module, the sensor module, or the communication module) among the components of the electronic device, instead of the main processorwhile the main processoris in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processorwhile the main processoris in an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor(e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera moduleor the communication module) functionally related to the auxiliary processor. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor(e.g., the neural processing unit) may include a hardware structure specified for artificial intelligence model processing. An artificial intelligence model may be generated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, e.g., by the electronic devicewhere the artificial intelligence is performed or via a separate server (e.g., the server). Learning algorithms may include, but are not limited to, e.g., supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), deep Q-network or a combination of two or more thereof but is not limited thereto. The artificial intelligence model may, additionally or alternatively, include a software structure other than the hardware structure.

The memorymay store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processoror the sensor module) of the electronic device. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program) and input data or output data for a command related thereto. The memorymay include the volatile memoryor the non-volatile memory.

The programmay be stored in the memoryas software, and may include, for example, an operating system (OS), middleware, or an application.

The input modulemay receive a command or data to be used by another component (e.g., the processor) of the electronic device, from the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device. The input modulemay include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output modulemay output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device. The sound output modulemay include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record. The receiver may be used for receiving incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display modulemay visually provide information to the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device. The display modulemay include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the display modulemay include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio modulemay convert a sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio modulemay obtain the sound via the input module, or output the sound via the sound output moduleor a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device.

The sensor modulemay detect an operational state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic deviceor an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor modulemay include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interfacemay support one or more specified protocols to be used for the electronic deviceto be coupled with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interfacemay include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

A connecting terminalmay include a connector via which the electronic devicemay be physically connected with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device). According to an embodiment, the connecting terminalmay include, for example, a HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic modulemay convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus which may be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic modulemay include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator.

The camera modulemay capture a still image or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera modulemay include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management modulemay manage power supplied to the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the power management modulemay be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The batterymay supply power to at least one component of the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the batterymay include, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication modulemay support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic deviceand the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device, the electronic device, or the server) and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication modulemay include one or more communication processors that are operable independently from the processor(e.g., the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication modulemay include a wireless communication module(e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module(e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device via the first network(e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™ wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network(e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication modulemay identify and authenticate the electronic devicein a communication network, such as the first networkor the second network, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module.

The wireless communication modulemay support a 5G network, after a 4G network, and next-generation communication technology, e.g., new radio (NR) access technology. The NR access technology may support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), or ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). The wireless communication modulemay support a high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band) to achieve, e.g., a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication modulemay support various technologies for securing performance on a high-frequency band, such as, e.g., beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (massive MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication modulemay support various requirements specified in the electronic device, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device), or a network system (e.g., the second network). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication modulemay support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for implementing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less) for implementing URLLC.

The antenna modulemay transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the antenna modulemay include an antenna including a radiating element including a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, the antenna modulemay include a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first networkor the second network, may be selected, for example, by the communication module(e.g., the wireless communication module) from the plurality of antennas. The signal or the power may then be transmitted or received between the communication moduleand the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module.

According to various embodiments, the antenna modulemay form a mmWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a RFIC disposed on a first surface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or a side surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high-frequency band.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutually and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic deviceand the external electronic devicevia the servercoupled with the second network. Each of the electronic devicesormay be a device of a same type as, or a different type, from the electronic device. According to an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronic devicemay be executed at one or more of the external electronic devices,, or. For example, if the electronic deviceshould perform a function or a service automatically, or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service, may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or the service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least part of the function or the service requested, or an additional function or an additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome of the performing to the electronic device. The electronic devicemay provide the outcome, with or without further processing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic devicemay provide ultra low-latency services using, e.g., distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In an embodiment, the external electronic devicemay include an internet-of-things (IoT) device. The servermay be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or a neural network. According to an embodiment, the external electronic deviceor the servermay be included in the second network. The electronic devicemay be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technology.

is a block diagramillustrating an example configuration of the audio moduleaccording to various embodiments. Referring to, the audio modulemay include, for example, an audio input interface, an audio input mixer, an analog to digital converter (ADC), an audio signal processor (e.g., including signal processing circuitry), a digital to analog converter (DAC), an audio output mixer, and/or an audio output interface.

The audio input interfacemay receive an audio signal corresponding to a sound acquired from the outside of the electronic devicethrough a microphone (for example, a dynamic microphone, a condenser microphone, or a piezo microphone) which is a part of the input moduleor is configured separately from the electronic device. For example, when the audio signal is acquired from the external electronic device(for example, a headset or a microphone), the audio input interfacemay be directly connected to the external electronic devicethrough the connectivity terminalor wirelessly connected thereto through the wireless communication moduleto receive the audio signal. According to an embodiment, the audio input interfacemay receive a control signal (for example, a volume control signal received through an input button) related to the audio signal acquired from the external electronic device. The audio input interfacemay include a plurality of audio input channels and may receive different audio signals corresponding to respective audio input channels among the plurality of audio input channels. According to an embodiment, additionally or alternatively, the audio input interfacemay receive an audio signal from another element (for example, the processoror the memory) of the electronic device.

The audio input mixermay synthesize a plurality of input audio signals into at least one audio signal. For example, according to an embodiment, the audio input mixermay synthesize a plurality of analog audio signals input through the audio input interfaceinto at least one analog audio signal.

The ADCmay convert an analog audio signal into a digital audio signal. For example, according to an embodiment, the ADCmay convert the analog audio signal received through the audio input interfaceor additionally or alternatively convert an analog audio signal synthesized through the audio input mixerinto a digital audio signal.

The audio signal processormay include various circuitry and/or executable program instructions and perform various processing for a digital audio signal input through the ADCor a digital audio signal received from another element of the electronic device. For example, according to an embodiment, the audio signal processormay change a sampling rate for one or more digital audio signals, apply one or more filters, process interpolation, amplify or attenuate all or some frequency bands, process noise (for example, attenuate noise or echo), change a channel (for example, switching between mono and stereo), perform mixing, or extract a predetermined signal. According to an embodiment, one or more functions of the audio signal processormay be implemented in the form of an equalizer.

The DACmay convert a digital audio signal into an analog audio signal. For example, according to an embodiment, the DACmay convert a digital audio signal processed by the audio signal processoror a digital audio signal acquired from another element (for example, the processoror the memory) of the electronic deviceinto an analog signal.

The audio output mixermay synthesize a plurality of audio signals to be output into at least one audio signal. For example, according to an embodiment, the audio output mixermay synthesize an audio signal converted into an analog signal through the DACand another analog audio signal (for example, an analog audio signal received through the audio input interface) into at least one analog audio signal.

The audio output interfacemay output the analog audio signal converted through the DACor additionally or alternatively output the analog audio signal synthesized by the audio output mixerto the outside of the electronic devicethrough the sound output module. The sound output modulemay include a speaker, for example, a dynamic driver or a balanced armature driver or a receiver. According to an embodiment, the sound output modulemay include a plurality of speakers. In this case, the audio output interfacemay output audio signals having a plurality of different channels (for example, stereo or 5.1 channel) through at least some of the plurality of speakers. According to an embodiment, the audio output interfacemay be directly connected to the external electronic device(for example, an external speaker or a headset) through the connectivity terminalor wirelessly connected thereto through the wireless communication moduleto output audio signals.

According to an embodiment, the audio modulemay synthesize a plurality of digital audio signals through at least one function of the audio signal processorto generate at least one digital audio signal without a separate audio input mixeror audio output mixer.

According to an embodiment, the audio modulemay include an audio amplifier (not shown) (for example, a speaker amplification circuit) capable of amplifying an analog audio signal input through the audio input interfaceor an audio signal to be output through the audio output interface. According to an embodiment, the audio amplifier may be configured as a module separated from the audio module.

is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of an electronic device according to various embodiments.